Draught of Ephemera
The Draught of Ephemera is a highly dangerous and secret potion that was last brewed in 2053 at Hogwarts. The potion is known to return ghosts to a physical form through the use of the draught and a human catalyst, although it occasionally provides too dangerous for either the host or the ghosts in question. Brewing the Potion The ingredients and brewing instructions for the Draught are found only within the Book of Mysteria, which is currently stored in a secret location. "Grind Horn of living Unicorn In one small cauldron base To dreg-less Armadillo bile A thick gray-sparkling paste The Pureed Broth of Garlic Cloves Stirred in a clockwise motion Is added to the paste to make A grayish smelly potion A compote made of berries three The Goose, the Cran and Dew When added to the cup, you’ll see A thickish, purple brew Now leave to cool for just one hour Be mindful of the arcs The radiant heat, exploding shower Of erupting silver sparks In a separate cauldron, pewter-cast Mix the following items, thus The Blood of a fair-haired mortal lass And Norandola Dust On low heat leave for measure while The gold sparkling dust soaks in Add strand of lass’s golden hair Incant nine times and then The blood will hiss and splutter If the incantation was correctly said The potion left behind should be The deepest crimson red Add next the Draught of the Living Dead To the potion of crimson red Say the incantation nines times until It turns vile green instead The Draught of Ephemera successfully brewed The Mortal shall drink it straight When emptied, the host will fall into A dreamy, trance-like state What’s next in need, a twig of Birch And a possession from the ghost Dot both with potion, the Spirit’s first Then the forehead of the host You’re almost done, you’re getting close, Draught of Ephemera is next in line Dab both possession and the ghost With birch twig end, times nine If performed correctly up to here The toughest part's been done The Spirit’s soulful light should next appear As the two forms join as one The possession and the light Restore the body of the ghost Through the graciousness and sacrifice Of the sleeping host Once the Spirit is alive again The host slowly must awaken The Restorative Draught of Mandrake Juice Is recommended to be taken." Use at Hogwarts Prior to coming to Hogwarts, the Book of Mysteria traveled from location to location secretly, never being held in one place for any length of time. It was well known that Voldemortist had an interest in finding the Book and plumbing it for secrets to overcome death and gain power. Although the passing of the book to Hogwarts was supposed to be a secret, Voldemortist knew it was there and Headmaster Hendrik Kobus took precautions to protect the Book and the school. During Term 6, Slytherin ghost Marcella Riddle chanced to discover the Draught of Ephemera in the Book. She immediately shared her discovery with the school staff and other recent House ghosts. The staff divided on the issue: some felt that any effort to return those whose life had been taken prematurely was a worthy one while others felt that going against the natural course of things was a mistake. Still, Headmaster Kobus decided to go ahead with the brewing, and ghosts Riddle, Anjelica Lainey, and Kris Airlia decided to attempt the dangerous journey to regain their bodies. With Professor Phoebe Phoenix acting as medium, ghosts Riddle, Lainey, and Airlia were all successfully returned to their former bodies. An unexpected difficulty arose: Airlia had been dead for 70 years, and her new physical form was that of a very old woman. Due to her extreme fraility and the relative weakness of the others involved in the process, the group moved to the Hospital Wing. Fighting with Voldemortist as he stormed the castle, Professor Cassandra Rae was injured trying to protect the Book of Mysteria. In a heroic gesture, the Gryffindor ghost Sir Spots attempted to complete the ritual using the remaining Draught and using Rae as his medium. If he could regain his physical form, he would be able to assist Rae and keep her from dying. Sadly, Rae was too weak to be a proper catalyst for the ritual, and Sir Spots passed on before he could be returned to his physical body. It is impossible to know if his brave sacrifice allowed the noble Sir Spots to finally be laid to rest, or if his disappearance was a result of the Draught. References Hogwarts, A History (Term 7) What in Merlin's Beard, Term 7 Category:Term 7 Category:Potions Category:History of Magic